It’s still only mid-April, but Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg says that his company’s employees can expect to keep working from home until at least the end of May as part of continuing efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Zuckerberg gave details about how his company will re-open for business at its offices in a post on his own Facebook page late Thursday. Zuckerberg said Facebook is “slowing our plans to return to the office” in order to put more emphasis on “helping the rest of our community and local economy to get back up and running first.”

As part of that plan, Zuckerberg said the “vast majority” of Facebook employees will be required to work home until the end of May. Zuckerberg also said that even though he anticipates Facebook employees can start coming back to the office in a month and half, they will be able to continue working remotely for some time, if they so choose.

“We’ve also let our employees know that even after more of our teams can return, if there’s any reason they feel they can’t work in our offices, because they are in a vulnerable population, because with schools and camps canceled they don’t have childcare, or anything else, that they can plan to work from home through at least the summer.”

Zuckerberg added Facebook has extended its policy of no business travel until the end of June, and said that even though employees might be able to come back to their workplaces in a matter of weeks, he doesn’t anticipate large gatherings of workers to become commonplace for some time. As such, Zuckerberg said it won’t hold any physical meetings, conferences or gatherings with more than 50 people until June 2021. Zuckerberg said it will hold virtual versions of some of its events over the next year.

“When society does eventually start re-opening, it will have to open slowly in staggered waves to make sure that the people who are returning to work can do so safely and that we minimize the possibility of future outbreaks,” Zuckerberg said.

Rex Crum is the senior web editor for the business section for The Mercury News and Bay Area News Group. He also writes about business and technology for the publications' print and web editions, and has covered business and technology for nearly two decades. A native of Seattle, he remains a diehard Seahawks and Mariners fan and is imparting his fandom to his Oakland-native wife and two young daughters.

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